The Stag Hunt and Fountain of Youth in the First Darmstadt Haggadah: Imaging Jewish Persecution and Celebrating the Hebrew Community in Late-Fifteenth-Century Trent.

This article examines the First Darmstadt Haggadah, a richly illuminated Ashkenazi Passover manuscript created around 1430 in Ulm and later augmented circa 1475 with two unique full-page miniatures depicting a stag hunt and a fountain of youth. These images diverge from typical haggadah iconography and are interpreted as metaphorical representations of Jewish persecution and hope for communal renewal amid adversity, specifically reflecting the experiences of the Jewish communities of Heidelberg in the late 14th century and Trent in the late 15th century. The stag hunt symbolizes the plight and persecution of European Jewry, while the fountain of youth, depicted as a Jewish bathhouse with identifiable Jewish figures, celebrates family, continuity, and Messianic aspirations. The article further contextualizes these miniatures within broader medieval European artistic traditions and links the later additions to Israel ben Meir Jaffe, a scribe and illuminator tragically involved in the 1475–1476 blood libel trial in Trent, suggesting that the imagery expresses both the trauma and resilience of the Hebrew community during this period.